As im not following any particular diet i thought id ask an opinion on what book is the best?. I borrowed 'The Zone' from the library today and it looks very complex, what would be the most followable diet to start with ? i keep reading about the induction period , what is this??
any opinions wellcome
izzy

It would be much easier if you did have a definite plan you were following. Check out this link to find out about the most popular ones.

Induction is the first two weeks of the Atkins diet when you would be limited to 20g carbs per day.

Personally I find Atkins easy to follow and weight loss has been steady - of course I'd like it to be a lot quicker.

Keep reading until you decide which plan is best suited for you.
Take care.

The Zone Diet by Dr. Barry Sears is based on 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 30% fat. The 40% carbohdrates amounts to 200 gm based on a 2000 calorie diet. This high number is OUTRAGEOUS and will lead to degenerative diseases in the later years of life.

People on the Zone message board continually complain about their inability ot loose weight and they even gain weight. The Zone limited calorie method also results in a loss in lean muscles mass.

As a comparison, Dr. Lutz in his book, "Life Without Bread" lists 72 gm of carbohydrates as the upper limit for weight loss and maintaining good health. Dr. Atkins suggests 20 gm of carbohydrates or less to begin the weight loss program and carefully increase the carbs when moving into the ongoing weight loss stage.

Check out this page and quote:

Insulin and Its Metabolic Effects by Dr. Ron Rosedale

"Zone was a good diet compared to the American diet it was unusual. Is it an optimal diet? No. Is it optimal for what is known today about nutrition, it is not. He is stuck in this mold he can't get out of but now he is trying to get out of it through the back door. Initially the author spoke about how it made no difference if you got your carbohydrate from candy or vegetables. The Volkswagen was a good car, but eventually they had to change it to keep up with modern technology. What he is doing now is changing his recipes so that the 40% carbohydrates are coming primarily from vegetables, and the carbohydrates are going way down because he knows that if he doesn't it's not as good a diet."

Hi Izzy,

to choose which diet is the best for you, I would recommend you to read Dr.Perrone's book Hollywood's Healthiest Diets. It is in your library as well, I am pretty sure. Dr. Perrone's book is small, very well written, and he describes 10 different lowcarb plans and tests to chose which one suits your metabolism and lifestyle best. there you will read about what is different about each plan, and what is the smartest way to lose bodyfat for you as you are today. then you will know whether ketogenic diet or other plan is the best for you personally. There are so many to choose from, you know. I tried atkins and loved it, but then I switched to the zone and can't get enough of it as well. To tell you the truth, atkins was the best choice for me to start, because I have always been a veggie hater and bacon lover. Today I kinda don't care about bacon or meat anymore and prefer veggies to meat, lol.

the zone book that you got is really not good. I love this diet but I hated the book. if you want to learn about it easy way, A Week in the Zone is probably better for the curious.

Mila

From my prevous response to your postings, I repeat my advice here,
I see from your profile that you have not read any books yet. One of the joys of following this way of eating is the greater understanding of how your body functions and how to keep it well. My suggestion would be to read Protein Power first and then to move to Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Solution.
Good luck and congratulations

I agree with Oldsalty, Protein Power is definitely worth reading if you want to understand the benefits of any low-carb eating plan in general. Besides it explains which supplements and vitamins you need to take, which is quite iportant. Are you taking any multivitamins?

Id like to say thankyou to all for your veiws and for taking the time out to offer advice to me, I have ordered protein power from the library along with the new atkins diet book so im waiting for them to come in.
at the moment i have all bran in the morning
salad and cold meat int he afternoon
and lean meat with veg as an evening meal
i take omega 3+6 kelp and
milk thistle as a detox

im not sure if this is very healthy but i have lost 20 ibs and have lost my urge to eat all the time, witch is a godsend for me?
izzy

sounds like its working for you !!

keep it up

Sounds like a great food program, I eat salad 2 times a day and I toss it with virgin olive oil to keep up my intake of good fats. The salad that I get is a strong mix of leaves including radichio, frisee spinach, arugula, endive etc.
Good Luck

It is tink, but i dont know if its anything like the atkins diet prescribes, i cant wait to get hold of the two books ive ordered to find out. i have to thank old salty for telling me about protein power, i just wish the library would get a wriggle on,,
izzy

well i wasnt sure if oil was ok, so ive been using hellmans mayonaise, yum.
you'l probably tell me im not supposed to have that?
but i only have about two teaspoons worth.
i so glad that it sound like a good diet cos i was a little worried that mabey i wasnt having enough vitamins, with not having any suppliments?

izzy

I have mayo with my salads..yummy

I also take multi vits and vit C

I have never been so healthy !!

Hi there,

The more fat you eat the better, I still have to keep telling myself this as well! But it IS true, so pile on the mayo and olive oil (as long as the mayo doesn't have heaps of hidden carbs! Hellmans is fine.

I'm on Atkins at the moment and I'm enjoying it, but I have ordered PP and PPLP from Amazon.co.uk, I was fed up of waiting for the library to get it in. I want to increase my carbs with fruit but I want to read up about which fruits first and how! I'm finding it hard to go over 30g, I usually hover around 25 - 28g per day and that's with piling the veggies and salads high!!

Good luck with choosing the right one.

I agree the Zone is complicated to read, I gave up in fact!

Banana

I know what you mean about upping your carbs !

I have been adding tomatoes and a little beetroot to my salads - I have also found some crackers that are 4carbs each so I have one of those as well.

Le tme know what you find out about fruit as it is one thing I kinda miss - I do sneak the odd grape occassionally but it would be good to know all the fruits I can have to help up the carbs.

Thanks

You can have strawberries, blueberries, raspberries... any berries in fact. They are the lowest in carbs and most nutritious. On both Atkins and PP you can have berries, only watch your carbs. In PP you can have 40-55g a day, so you can have more fruit and veggies. If you exercise extensively you can add a little bit more.

I also have half an apple between my breaky and lunch, and if I know that I'm going to the gym during my lunch break I get away with a whole apple.

It's wothwhile reading both Atkins and Protein Power and decide what's suits you best.

Good luck!